Category: News

NursePartners was proud to participate in the career fair hosted by the Philadelphia Regional Library system. Our two delegates were Lakeya Dula, Senior Recruiter and Dementia Coach, and Nafeesah Mays, Certified Nursing Assistant (“CarePartner”). NursePartners is looking for CNAs, LPNs, and RNs who specialize in geriatric care. We are always growing our team and want dependable CarePartners to work in consistent care teams. We offer assignments (not “shifts”) in three company divisions: traditional home care, GEM (dementia care), and staffing at our partner facilities. Carepartners receive the detailed plan of care and report before arriving for a first assignment with a new client.

Lakeya Dula executes the entire hiring process, beginning with a screen, personality assessment, interview at the Philadelphia Office, executive huddle, background and drug screen tests, orientation, dementia workshop, and additional dementia training. She seeks personable and dependable CNAs for all three company divisions. NursePartners is looking for carepartners that want to make a difference in the lives of older adults. As an executive team, we proceed with each hire only after asking ourselves: “Would we want this CarePartner to care for an older adult in our family”? If so, we are confident to place them in the homes of our clients.

Nafeesah Mays has made an exceptional impression on seven of our clients. As a CarePartner with more than 16 years of working experience in home care and long-term care and assisted living communities, we are happy to have her as part of the team. As part of the orientation process, Nafeesah participated in an orientation that included a dementia workshop. During the workshop, dementia coaches role play difficult scenarios with carepartners to see how they might respond with our clients. Role plays are filmed and played back to the CarePartner so that they can see themselves from the eyes of the client. Nafeesah is in the process of completing additional dementia training.

The Alzheimer’s Association presents the following as warnings signs of Alzheimer’s disease:

Memory loss that disrupts daily life

Challenges in planning or solving problems

Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, work, or leisure

Confusion with time or place

Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships

New problems with words in speaking or writing

Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps

Decreased or poor judgment

Withdrawal from work or social activities

Changes in mood and personality

As we age, our organs do not perform as before. The brain is no exception. Some natural cognitive decline is natural. When presenting the early warning signs, it is important that we put each warning sign in its proper context.

It is also important to remember that each person has their own baseline. We do not all have the same skills or personalities. Life experiences and family relationships also impact how we develop as individuals. In order to receive a proper diagnosis, a physician must take the time to fully understand the personality and life experiences. Other factors such as stress, depression, and vitamin deficiencies might be to blame.

Memory loss that disrupts daily life

Forgetting the names of new classroom of students is normal. This is different from being unable to remember the name of your spouse or children (if you have a few!). Typically we forget names, but are able to remember them on our own later.

Challenges in planning or solving problems

This is relative to your problem solving skills when you were younger. If these skills were never strong, they will also be weak as an older adult.

Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, work, or leisure.

The key word is “familiar”. If you have never been good at folding clothes, this is not a familiar task, and therefore there is no cause for concern that you still cannot do it well.

Confusion with time or place

It is normal to write the year wrong in January or to think it is Tuesday when it is in fact Wednesday. Life stresses causing us to loose track of the passage of small periods of time. However, it is not normal to perceive yourself as being in the opposite season or many years in the past.

Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships

Vision generally worsens as we age. Older adults aged 75+ typically have peripheral vision of about 45 degrees in each direction. Older adults living with dementia will develop tunnel vision. Eventually this vision becomes binocular and then monocular. They will also have issues gauging distance while driving or recognizing the depth perception of items in a room.

New problems with words in speaking or writing

Some older adults may have a stutter or become timid in large group settings. Their energy level or stress can also impact their ability to speak well. We also all forget the names of items, especially words that we use infrequently. It is not normal to forget words that are common to our every day life. If we forget them, we may remember them by mentioning other related words. If we think of the common word after this activity, this may be a sign of a developing cognitive impairment.

Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps

We all loose our keys, unless we are very disciplined! We may leave them in our pockets, put them on the counter, or periodically forget to even bring them out of the car. These are all normal acts. What is abnormal is putting keys in the fruit bowl, refrigerator, or give them to a friendly stranger.

Decreased or poor judgment

Related to the above, poor judgment might be falling victim to a sweepstakes scam or donating more than you can afford. We all have different levels of judgment, but typically this decline is hard to uncover in family and friends.

Withdrawal from work or social activities

This is especially relevant for extroverts. If a person finds themselves suddenly lost in a conversation this could be an issue. However, we should consider other issues such as depression or exhaustion. Introverts may avoid social activities, but enjoy gatherings among family and a few friends. If these behaviors change over the course of months or years, this might be cause for concern.

Changes in mood and personality

These are differences that arise over the course of the medium and long term. Keep in mind that life experiences can also permanently impact one’s personality. It is important to take the time to understand if traumatic incidents are to blame.

NursePartners, in partnership with National Aging in Place Council Philadelphia members, are pleased to announce the formation of the NEW Philadelphia chapter.

The National Aging in Place Council (NAIPC) is a non-profit association of service providers dedicated to working together to help people in their later years live a healthy and comfortable life in the home of their choice.

Members of the Philadelphia Chapter include geriatric care managers, elder care attorneys, home care and home health care professionals, dementia experts, financial planners, home remodeling, caregiver support groups, and moving services.

The mission of the Philadelphia Chapter is to support the residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding areas by providing products and services to retiring seniors that allow them to remain in their homes comfortably, independently and safely. In addition, our goal is to educate the public through hosting educational events throughout the year about the importance of planning ahead.

If your goal is to age in place, we urge you to take advantage of our senior support network. We can help ensure you have a plan, understand all available resources, and assist you so that you can remain independent in the home of your choice.

CAregivers REducing Stress (CARES)

Are you informally taking care of an older adult: a spouse, parent, sibling, friend or neighbor? Whether you help out full-time or just a few hours a week, caregiving is hard work and can be a strain on your emotional, psychological, financial, and physical well-being. Maybe you work at the same time, or have a family of your own to take care of, too. Maybe you’re just too exhausted to keep on top of it all. This monthly meet-up group is for informal (non-professional) caregivers of older adults. It is a space to share your experiences and learn from other caregivers who are in a similar position.

The group will be organized and facilitated by Sarina Issenberg, a Licensed Social Worker and counselor with CARES, a caregiver support program at Lutheran Settlement House. Additional times, locations, and events can be arranged. Please call or email with any questions!

Angela Geiger, CEO, CDP and Founder of NursePartners, and Peter Abraldes, Director of Operations, attended the Inspired Service Recognition Dinner last night in support of Presby’s Inspired Life.

The dinner was held in recognition of Patricia S. Scott, whose philanthropy efforts have improved the delivery of care at Rydal Park. The proceeds from the event and auction go to enable benevolent care and life-enrichment programs. Presby’s Inspired Life has over 30 communities, some of which are affording housing communities. 73% of the residents in these affordable housing communities report incomes less than $10,000 per year. Almost $5 million goes to support residents who cannot afford their own care each year.

Please join our team as we walk to support the Alzheimer’s Association on Saturday, November 12 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Registration begins at 9am and is followed by a ceremony at 10:45am. We will begin our walk at 11am. It is important to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research.